


Flowers

by monyaka



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: F/F, Flower Language, Game Spoilers, Hurt No Comfort, Love Confessions, Mystery, togami and kyoko friendship more like hell yes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-23 03:55:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9639749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monyaka/pseuds/monyaka
Summary: Kyoko receives envelopes on her floor. Each of them point to the possibility of a secret admirer, but who could it be?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Day 9 - Flowers. This is for tumblr user puff-pink's femslash February list! As soon as I saw this prompt, I thought about flower meanings. This fic physically hurt me to write, though. !! WARNING FOR DR1 SPOILERS !!

There is a letter on Kyoko’s floor. It is in a sealed white envelope—as plain as can be, yet somehow, it carries a mystery and elegance to it that the young woman is drawn to. The faint scent of perfume clings to the packet as it is turned over. There is nothing written on the envelope: just as well. To unmask the mystery, the letter must be opened. Kyoko, true to her nature, already has her suspicions regarding the sender.

All that is contained in the envelope is an inked drawing of a flower. Kyoko recognises it immediately. Lilac. With its simple petals and tight bunches, it’s unmistakable. The drawing is expertly coloured in with markers of varying purple and pink shades. Markers. Interesting. The attention to detail is extraordinary, she thinks. On the reverse, in the corner, so small it could be easily missed, lies a message. It is clearly typed using the ink stamps in the library; the size and ink distribution says as much. There is a 1 and there is a 7. She turns the page over once more and looks at the large flowers. This is her primary clue.

Her first step is to visit the library. Byakuya is there, silently studying some novel or other. She nods to him and he nods to her. Blue eyes flick to the envelope she has in hand, but he says nothing. There has always been an unspoken agreement betwixt the two of them, the likes of which are not shared among the others. The respect for privacy. He will not ask her questions, and this is much appreciated. She finds a book on flower meanings and scours the pages for lilacs.

_Lilacs (white):_ youthful innocence.

_Lilacs (purple):_ the first emotion of love.

Her heart stops and yet it doesn’t show on her face. Truly, she tells herself, she predicted this. What other reason could there be for an envelope slipped under her door containing nothing but a drawing of a flower, the dizzying scent of perfume clinging to the page?

She sends nothing in return.

* * *

 

Days later, she receives an identical envelope. The only differences are the flower and the numbers on the back— a blue rose and the numbers 2 and 4.

_Rose (blue): love at first sight, prosperity, mystery, immortality, improbable odds._

Her eyes linger on the word "mystery". Is this the purpose of these letters? She wants to dismiss the theme of love entirely. It matters not that purple lilacs signify first love. Yet she reprimands herself. She is not here to play this game by her own comfort. The one who has fashioned this has their own goals in mind. It would be a disservice to them (for perfume could be easily stolen and used as a diversion, so to assume a gender would be hasty and unprofessional) to discount their clues. 

Her mind flits to Byakuya, how his eyes had moved to the envelope days before. He is certainly intelligent enough to fashion something such as this, she thinks. He would have easy access to the book of flower meanings. The two of them share an intellectual kinship, one that he markedly does not allow himself to share with many others. Assuming he holds romantic feelings for her, this would hardly be out of character.

However, _can_ she assume so? She considers her options. Byakuya. Makoto. Asahina. Sakura. Chihiro. Yasuhiro. Kiyotaka. Mondo. Hifumi. Celestia. Toko. 

The second envelope is put inside her desk drawer. She sends nothing in return.

* * *

 

The third envelope is received soon after the second class trial. Kyoko mentally reviews her suspects once more as she stares at the drawing of a bouquet, the flower this time not easily recognisable. She is forced to scour the book in the library, the same book every time, for its identity.

_Gladiolus: strength, courage, moral integrity, of the gladiators. They also signify infatuation; a bouquet conveys that the giver's heart is pierced by passion._

This is fitting. It reminds her of the sorts of flowers that she sees in fairy tales, the kinds that adorn the hair of princesses. The colouring, like the lilac, contains hues of purple and pink, but in this image, they are bold and saturated. This reflects the dramatic meaning of the flower. However, Kyoko must wonder if attention to colour is simply for aesthetic purposes. They could potentially be another clue.

The back of the letter reads "2". The page and its envelope smell, tellingly, like perfume. The same perfume every time. The likelihood of the scent being a diversion is rising with each new clue.

Yet Kyoko has learned every hue of the scent that accompanies the envelopes. It is light and pungent; there is something distinctly regal about it. There is a sense of physicality to it, a muskiness that addicts the young woman. She wishes desperately to know the owner of this scent, but she knows the sentiments of the investigator have no bearing on the case. This is why she has not questioned herself as to who she wishes the perpetrator is. Such wishful thinking may cloud her deductions. Yet... 

She spends too much time with the letter before placing it gently with the others. She sends nothing in return, yet it cannot be said that there is no response.

* * *

 

17\. 24. 2. And now 8.

Kyoko stares at the page on which she has written the three numbers. She has redoubled her efforts to solve this mystery. She has spent too long dallying. There has been some free time for her and she has taken out the envelopes. The book on flower meanings lies on her desk. A temporary lapse in judgement, that is all that she has suffered from. But she has reasserted her goals. She must find the identity of the one who has such an audacity as to rope her into this wild goose chase.

_Columbine (purple): love (Graeco-Roman), fool (European), driven to win (Victorian)._

Her fist clenches. A first love; a mysterious immortal love at first sight against all odds; a heart-piercing infatuation for one who is strong, courageous, and moral; a love-fool driven to win. And then the numbers— 17-24-2-8. She wishes Chihiro were here to help her with the code, but then again, why would she ask for help with such a matter? She tries to correspond the numbers with letters. 17-24-2-8. Q-X-B-H—no.

She cannot allow herself to grow frustrated. She wonders how many of these letters are left. Her entire drawer reeks of that perfumed scent, the one that has driven her mad with curiosity.

_A love-fool driven to win._ What could it mean? Is Kyoko to be conquered? What makes the sender foolish? The young woman is the one who feels foolish. She must think rationally, logically, without the scent of that damned perfume still swirling around in the air.

She sends nothing in return; she closes the drawer on the envelopes stinking up her room and her thoughts.

* * *

 

Kyoko searches the second floor for Celestia and Hifumi, ignoring the announcements that echo around her. So there is a murder. So there is another. The incessant killings have numbed her. She is here for a higher reason. She is here to search and she is here to discover. Thoughts about Hifumi or Celestia being the victims plague her but she shoves them away. It is time to investigate.

And investigate she does. To the others, she is being her normal self. Yet this is far from her normal self; she is solving more mysteries than she can handle. Mind foggy, heart heavy, she swallows back emotion and investigates. Celestia is not a victim, thankfully, but Kyoko must admit that when she hears Kiyotaka’s name, she thinks of the gladiolus.

The thought is shaken away. The thought must be banished. Currently, she is investigating two murders. The performance is near flawless; the plan is elaborate. It reminds her of her own personal mystery, of how the letters are slipped undetected under her door. She thinks of the stamps preventing handwriting from being identified. The perfume that is being used as a diversion. The whole thing is so perfect, so flawless, that she wants to scream for how she admires her admirer. Is this what their plan is? To make her fall in love with their intricate and cunning mind?

She is in love, she’s certain of it. The delicacy and the mystery has drawn her in like the perfume on the envelopes. It is the love of the chase and the love of the complication that drives her. A beautiful thing. A beautiful person. A beautiful love. She cannot believe her own thoughts and yet somehow she _can._ When will she receive her next clue? She waits with bated breath.

Yet her next clue is placed right in her hands. Her next clue, incidentally, is Celestia—Celestia as she holds her hands during the trial. The gambler leans in and her hair shifts and the rawest scent of her hits Kyoko’s nostrils. It is precisely the scent of the envelope, but it’s stronger, more alive. It’s reminiscent of a more elegant era, the musk of sweat mixed in with the sting of perfume. Her heart rate quickens, and then just as she is there for a moment, she is gone. But this is not a moment. This is forever.

Celestia’s eyes are warm and she smiles. Her loss fills the young woman’s heart with utter despair. She can feel the flames on her arms. Her scent burns her nostrils. Such a brilliant mind turns to ash. Her heart is heavy as she enters her dorm room and the sight that awaits her is not one that alleviates her worries.

The final envelope is on her floor. She opens it. She has scoured the pages of floral meaning for so long that she immediately recognises the vibrant pink flowers.

_Sweet pea: delicate pleasure, blissful pleasure, departure, goodbye, “thank you for a lovely time”, adieu._

12.

More than ever, Kyoko must act on her hunch. Perfectly manicured nails move in a frenzy, a flurry: she obtains paper and pen. The letters that had made so little sense to her before are becoming clear to her. Her breaths thunder like her heart. She is shaking without realising. Q-X-B-H-L. Shifted three letters, it spells _Taeko._ Celestia’s true name.

A breath gets sucked into aching lungs, sloppy tears streaming across her face. She can barely feel it beyond the knot in her chest. Celestia’s scarlet eyes flash in her memory, locked on Kyoko even as she was consumed entirely. A brilliant mind burned at the stake. And how familiar is that? Yet Kyoko would not cry for a brilliant mind. She would cry for a… for _her_ …

For her… For Celestia.

All this time, she has not sent anything in return. Yet, tonight, she shall send her _adieu._


End file.
